Chapter 239

On the other hand, Hyun-gyeok Hall was filled with a solemn atmosphere, akin to a funeral home. The heavy silence was so profound that you could hear a single ant crawling.

Thanks to this, even breathing felt awkward, making it uncomfortable to inhale without being overly conscious.

Then, suddenly, the master of Fighting Seat Fist, Wang Nofil, spoke up with a determined expression.

“We can’t just wait here like this.”

“Brother Wang, but what can we do? If Solitude goes berserk, we’ll just be a burden rolling on the ground.”

“Are you saying we should just sit here? Do you think Young Lady Seomun might be having a rough time and we should just breathe quietly?”

“Then what? Should we charge in and all suffer together for the sake of our consciences?”

Wang Nofil shook his head.

“No. But we can ask for help from the masters of the Martial Alliance. We should at least bow our heads and seek to rescue Young Lady Seomun.”

At that, Dorai-man from the Dan-yang Do-beop intervened.

“That’s not it. Young Lady Seomun is a woman. If a scandal breaks out, she won’t be able to lift her head for the rest of her life. Didn’t she say she has a plan? We must trust Young Lady Seomun and wait.”

“Ha! Is that really about face? When you’re dead, what’s face even worth? Young Lady Seomun comes from a humble background; surely she values her life over such trivial matters!”

“Surely, if Young Lady Seomun willingly submitted to capture, she must have a plan, right?”

The two men’s opinions clashed. Wang Nofil insisted they should report to the Martial Alliance immediately for a rescue operation, while Dorai-man argued they should place their trust in Qing and wait more.

Just then, Ma Yeong-jeon of the Gyeongdamgan joined the conversation.

“Stop bickering. What will fighting accomplish? I’ve heard that a senior from the Divine Maiden Sect will be participating alongside Young Lady Seomun. We should at least inform her elders.”

At that, all the ronin agreed.

Thus, they sent someone to Muchen Pavilion to summon the elders of the Divine Maiden Sect.

As a result, Seomun Sulin, summoned by the ronin, found it utterly absurd and exasperating, almost reducing her to laughter.

What is this? Who’s calling who?

No matter how urgent the matter might be, there are limits to the situation.

Seomun Sulin was a senior figure in the martial world, far beyond comparison in age, status, and skill level with the ronin.

Of course, the ronin might feel wronged too.

Since Seomun Sulin didn’t officially participate in the Martial World Tournament, she wasn’t seated among the honored guests but rather among the elder seats, which not even the descendants of famous households knew about. So the ronin had no way to identify who that elegant lady next to Qing was.

Even the esteemed young scions were clueless, so they warned others not to ask or approach the matter.

Yet, being ignorant is one thing, but being disrespectful is another.

In fact, being this absurd kind of piqued her curiosity—what on earth could these kids want from her?

Thus, for the first time, Seomun Sulin visited the lowly lodging of the Hall of Literature, a place she thought she’d never set foot in.

“Did you call for me?”

“Yes. You are a senior from the Divine Maiden Sect, right? There’s something important that you must know-”

“You don’t even know who I am, yet you summoned me? How interesting. My name is Seomun Sulin, and are you really not going to introduce me to the elders?”

It was an old man’s mischievousness. It was his intention to teach some etiquette as he watched the flustered youngsters turn pale.

But lo and behold, upon hearing Seomun Sulin’s name, everyone’s faces brightened as if they found hope.

“Grandma! Please help us! The truth is……!”

And so, the ronin simultaneously knelt down, recounting the events that had transpired, revealing their shortcomings without hesitation. From the Parasite Sect’s infiltration to Solitude’s rampage, and even Qing’s heroic sacrifice, they laid bare everything in detail.

“You lot! How could you……!”

The Best Female Martial Artist’s rage erupted fiercely.

Seomun Sulin’s hair stood on end as the heavy presence pressed down on the ronin’s backs.

“How come you didn’t report this immediately last night? For heaven’s sake, the Blood Sect—those scoundrels! Where are they? Where are they?!”

“I’ll guide you right away-”

“What are you waiting for! Get out and move!”

Seomun Sulin’s vision clouded over.

Without a doubt, the foolish naïve disciple must have rushed out in a naive state, unaware of the dangers of Solitude or the Blood Sect, thinking ‘if things go south, I can just run away.’

No! They can’t be let go. The Blood Sect must not be allowed to intervene.

What if the disciple ends up in some horrendous fate at the hands of those vile beasts whom she couldn’t regard as humans?

Just thinking about it made her heart plummet and her mind go blank, as if her soul was sucked out.

What on earth is this foolish Shintu doing?!

Thinking that a mere Hall of Literature student would display both intellect and integrity was a grave mistake.

That disciple, who had cheerfully said she’d be back soon, now seemed to haunt her thoughts like a ghost.

“Ah! I just heard she left. What a coincidence! I must’ve crossed paths with her! Oh, and there are ronin here as well.”

Haunting like a ghost……?

“Master! Wait! You know about the Blood Sect? I found out where their main base is! Those bastards deserve a good thrashing! And so-”

“Seomun Qing! You little brat!”

Smack!!!

Qing fell to the ground, clutching her head without even a scream.

Too much pain rendered her unable to even roll around, her body locked in place from the shock.

“Young Lady Seomun!” “Young Lady Seomun!”

“Young Lady Seomun! Are you unharmed?”

Then the ronin surged towards Qing on the ground, kneeling before her.

Some even shed tears, overwhelmed with joy and relief, all the worry and concern bursting forth at once.

Though seeing a swarm of men bowing to a fallen girl was a rather peculiar sight.

“Cough, you guys went this far for us……”

“Oh come on, we’re all ronin here, right? Did I say anything wrong? What does a ronin stand for?”

“Loyalty.”

“Good, then we’re all good? You can rest on the third floor of Muchen Pavilion. I mean, just for now, the Heavenly Flower will give you a quick remedy, you should just think of it as taking a few days off.”

As she hurried the overwhelmed ronin, who couldn’t raise their heads out of gratitude and embarrassment, Seomun Sulin remained with a solemn expression.

“This time, I absolutely won’t let this slide. What on earth were you thinking to act so recklessly? If you wanted to die, you could’ve just told this old lady and I would have ended it cleanly for you.”

“Hehe, were you worried?”

“Is that even something to ask? I heard you were caught after swallowing Solitude whole! I was nearly fainting!”

“Well, I’m sorry, you see, the thing is… my body just doesn’t react to poison.”

“Doesn’t react to poison at all? Are you saying you’re naturally immune to toxins? That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Hehe, apparently that’s a thing. It’s not a good thing, I think.”

Seomun Sulin glared at Qing. There was something about her averted gaze, as if she was clearly reluctant to meet her eyes and was harboring a secret.

If she could have just coaxed her close, she might have let it slip, but the awkwardness of the situation made it difficult to pry.

“Fine. So, you didn’t get poisoned, huh? You must’ve gobbled Solitude up, am I right?”

“Yup. Seems like I’m immune to all poison.”

“You think you could face down any situation and just get caught willingly?”

“You know how it is. If you get tied up, you just untie yourself. If there’s an obstacle, you break through…”

Seomun Sulin sighed heavily.

Even if she didn’t act recklessly, she couldn’t blame her too much this time.

In fact, it was commendable tactics, but that didn’t mean she was going to praise her for it.

“So, where are the Blood Sect members now?”

“Well, oddly enough, their hideout seems to be quite spacious, right beneath Gaebong.”

—-

In Qing’s hometown, there was a saying that once became popular: dreams are grand, but reality is a trash heap.

Ji-tan Gwangma was just like that. He had grand ambitions too.

In the twilight of his life, he hoped to ignite the last spark of precious materials he may never find again, refining them to the point of discarding everything else.

So he felt more inspired than ever; his heart raced with excitement.

First things first, he thought he could collect the heads of a few ronin in return for his provocations.

Out of twenty, he could afford to let at least ten die. The rest would be interesting to play with, so just half.

Afterward, if he incited their anger through misunderstandings, they would all shout “It’s because of you!” as they unleashed horrible and gruesome violence upon him.

That seemed like a good way to dispose of them.

Hmm, maybe he could use Geomhwa too.

He could put them in the same room and put a lavish feast on the table, forcing them to choose who would eat the rotting rice grain he would sprinkle in their meals.

Would the disciple from the Divine Maiden Sect yield? Or would she be unable to contain her ugliness?

Good luxurious bedding and a chamber pot could work fine.

Geomhwa was already half-broken; if he just taunted her, passing off the blame to the Divine Maiden disciple, how entertaining would it be?

And if Geomhwa ends up torturing the Divine Maiden disciple herself, that would be the icing on the cake…

This was his grand ambition.

But the ronin were trapped in the Martial Alliance and didn’t come out at all. As if they were placed there intentionally, they were locked in forever.

Even the Martial Alliance, drowning in complacency, found it far too dangerous to reach out at this time.

Since it just so happened that there were two ronin going to the next match, he thought maybe he could catch them then.

But not wanting to return empty-handed, he picked four innocent heads from the Divine Maiden disciple to throw over as gifts.

He’d say, “You did two, so I’ll return four.” Would that cause guilt? Or would it evoke anger?

He wanted to see tears, but hoped she wouldn’t break down.

After packaging the four heads and humming happily, he returned underground only to hear the news of Geomhwa’s escape.

In that moment, his beautiful plan crumbled into pieces.

“What the heck! You let Solitude escape!? That makes no sense! You idiots! And what about the disciple from the Divine Maiden Sect!?”

“Uh, well, she’s still in Thunder Prison.”

“Phew. Right. She can’t possibly escape. She’s got her life as an hostage. What if I revealed Geomhwa’s escape? How will she react? Didn’t they have some bad blood? Letting her assume you abandoned her would be a nasty misunderstanding…”

At that, one of the subordinates scratched his head.

“Uh, the one who helped Geomhwa escape was the Divine Maiden disciple.”

“What! But she’s still in Thunder Prison!”

Then, the subordinate hesitated for a moment before spilling the truth.

“Well, she left and then came back of her own accord. Said she was hungry and went to get dinner…”